A Witch's Life In Three Parts: Part One
by eventualprocrastination
Summary: This is the 1st of 3 stories chronicling the life & times of Dalina Blackmore, a witch who attended Hogwarts from 1977-84, would find her life intertwined with several others & had 2 great loves who left an impression. Eventually OCxScabior in this story. [Indefinite Hiatus]
1. Some Dreams Are Memories

In her eight short years of life in this world, Dalina Marianne Blackmore had never seen so much rain in a singular spring. Sitting on the window seat in her bedroom, her knees pulled to her chest, she stared at the torrential splattering of water against the windowpane. Beyond the window it was coming down like sheets; there were puddles galore on either side of the road and the grass in the front of every home in the entire neighborhood was no doubt a bunch of grassy, soggy mush. As a child, she had the inherent desire to just go outside and play in the rain and stomp around in the grass, getting wet and muddy. The sensible girl that she was, however, won out. For starters, her parents would kill her if she got soaked and dirty before they left for her grandmum's house.

After a few moments more of daydreaming about the rain and overall dreariness of it all, Dalina's train of thought was broken by her bedroom door creaking open, followed by a gentle rapping on the doorframe. Dalina turned her head, looking up at her auburn-haired mother whose warm, chocolate eyes stared into Dalina's rich, green ones.

"Lina, darling. We're going to be leaving for grandmum's soon. Do you have your overnight bag packed?" Olivia Blackmore was Dalina's mother who doted on the young girl so much anyone could automatically assume she was a spoiled chit. Olivia and her husband Reginald had reared her as just the opposite. Granted, all children have their moments, but for the most part, Dalina was mild-mannered and respectful of her elders.

"Yeah," Dalina nodded. She swung her short legs over the edge of the window seat and walked over to her bed where a backpack lay, almost overflowing from whatever was inside.

Olivia gave a small laugh. "Did you pack the kitchen sink in there, love?"

Too young to comprehend the idiom, Dalina responded without missing a beat, "I have my pyjamas, clothes for tomorrow, hairbrush, toothbrush, some Barbie dolls, a book and a pack Jelly Babies for a snack."

"You've clearly thought of everything, haven't you?" Off Dalina's nod, Olivia took a step forward into her daughter's room. It was unnaturally clean for a child her age, but Olivia had to remember that they used the extra bedroom down the hall as Dalina's playroom. Olivia almost never went in there as it was Dalina's sanctuary where she spent most of her time indoors by herself or with friends from school or in the neighborhood. So, she had no idea as to the state of that room's being. For all she knew it was in complete ruin. "What book have you packed?" Her hand touched the top of the backpack as if the book in question would jump out.

"_The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_."

"Have you started it? Is it good so far?"

Dalina shrugged. "I've got through the first two chapters. I don't know if I like it yet."

"Well, keep reading," Olivia smiled. "You're in for a real adventure."

Dalina looked up at her mum. "Have you read it?"

"Once, when I was fourteen or fifteen. It had just been published and a mate of mine kept going on about it."

"Did _you _like it?"

"Of course," Olivia smirked. "I thought the possibility of a magical world beyond my own was a fantastic idea. Sometimes I would open my own wardrobe hoping to be pulled into one."

Dalina giggled. What a silly notion. Her little smile started to fade from her lips as she grabbed up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder without toppling backward to the floor from its heft. "Mummy?" she muttered, her features growing serious.

Olivia had already started to turn from the room, her hand upon the doorframe. "Yes, Lina?"

"I had that same dream again last night," came Dalina's response. "The one with the lady with the dark hair and green eyes like me. This time she was standing in front of me with that weird stick in her hands and she made flowers come out the end of it. And she kissed my forehead. She was saying things but I couldn't hear her."

Olivia cast her dark eyes to the floor and bit at her bottom lip. "Everyone has recurring dreams, darling."

"But why of the same lady? And sometimes there's a man with dirty blonde hair, smiling at me, and he uses the same type of weird stick and makes a bunch of things juggle in the air all by themselves, like lamps and fruit." Dalina sat down on the end of her bed, looking up at her mum. "They look like me, mummy."

"Well..."

"Mummy...how come I look like the people in my dream but I look so different from you and daddy?"

Olivia raised a finger to quiet Dalina for a moment. She stuck her head out of the bedroom. "Reginald, can you come up to Dalina's room, please. It's important," she called out. Olivia immediately stepped forward and took a seat beside Dalina, taking one of her small hands into her larger one. She didn't say anything, just waited until her husband appeared.

After a few minutes, heavy footsteps resounded on the stairs followed by Reginald Blackmore appearing in Dalina's doorway. He was taking his glasses off the bridge of his nose and had what looked to be several letters or bills in his hands. "This electricity bill is ridiculous. Lina, have you been leaving your playroom light on when you're not in the room again?"

"Reggie," Olivia spoke, bringing his attention to his wife. "We need to have the talk with her."

"The talk." It wasn't said as a question as if he didn't know what Olivia meant, nor was it apprehensive. He simply repeated it to gather his wits about him. "Right, the talk. She's been asking?"

"Her dreams about the man and woman are becoming more frequent. I think it's time."

While her parents spoke, Dalina looked back and forth between them, like watching a tennis match. What were they going to tell her that made them become so nervous and serious?

Reginald walked up to her desk and pulled her chair out to the end of her bed where she and Olivia sat. He sat in the chair which was considerably too small for him and looked directly at his daughter. He reached out, took her free hand which wasn't in Olivia's hand and smiled assuringly.

"Sweetie, no matter what your mum and I tell you, you are our precious, beautiful daughter and we love you no matter what. Have, and always will."

Dalina frowned. She didn't like how that sounded. It was almost ominous. She didn't understand that word yet, but it fit just right.

"Dalina, for years your daddy and I couldn't have children. After ten years of trying, we decided we would adopt. We went to several orphanages and foster homes, but none of the children there seemed like the right fit. We wished there was something we could do for all of them, every child deserves a home and a family, after all," Olivia began, turning her eyes to her husband for him to continue.

"This was five years ago," Reginald remarked. "We had planned on visiting one more orphanage the following day and make a decision either way afterward, when that particular night, before we were about to turn in for bed, there was a knock at our door downstairs. I went to see who it was at such an hour, your mother was behind me on the stairs in her dressing gown. I opened it and on the other side stood and old man with long grayish-white hair and a great, long grayish-white beard, dressed peculiarly in purple robes and a funny hat. He had small spectacles on his nose. He asked if I was Reginald Blackmore and if my wife was home. Your mother came further into view and stepped up beside me. When we confirmed it, he pulled open the cloak he wore over his robes and revealed a small girl no more than three years old asleep in his arms. She had dark hair, was holding a dolly to her chest and she was the most adorable little girl we'd ever seen."

"The old man said he was aware we had been wanting a child of our own for a long time and could help us with that. He didn't say much else," Olivia spoke, looking at Dalina, watching her face register all she was being told. "The little girl was you, darling. The old man handed you over to daddy and said everything would be taken care of. The paperwork would be official, you would be ours legally. Before he left, he gave us strict instructions to take very good care of you and love you like our own which have down ten times over. He also said you would someday become a very special young woman with special talents and when that time comes, he would return to help us understand it all. We were just so happy to have you, we were ready for anything that might come our way as long as we got to keep you."

Reginald offered a soft smile, giving Dalina's hand a tighter squeeze. "All the children we considered to adopt, all the years of trying on our own, the waiting...and you quite literally fell into our arms. It was fate. It was meant to be that you came to us."

"You're..." Dalina began, trailing off for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "You're not my real parents?"

"We are very much your real parents, darling," Olivia insisted. "I just didn't give birth to you."

"Are the people in my dreams my other parents, the ones that made me?"

"Quite possibly. It might not be dreams, but your memories."

"What happened to them? How come they gave me up?"

Reginald shrugged. "The old man said something terrible had happened to your birth parents and they couldn't take care of you anymore. We were to keep you safe. He said your name was Dalina, but we were free to give you a different middle name and our last name."

"What was my middle and last names before?"

"We don't know what your last name was," Olivia commented, honestly. "Your middle name was originally Ariadne. I'd always wanted to name a daughter Marianne, but since you already had a first name you were no doubt accostumed to hearing, we kept Dalina, but changed your middle name to Marianne."

"So, I'm adopted?" Dalina said it in disbelief. Over the last couple of years she'd noticed she looked considerably different from her parents; Olivia had auburn hair with brown eyes, Reginald had light brown with blue eyes. Dalina, meanwhile, had dark brown hair and green eyes. But while she looked differently, she never expected them to not be her biological parents. Adoption really hadn't crossed her mind.

"Yes, darling. But you're our daughter in every way that really matters, in heart and soul. The moment we laid eyes on you, we knew you were the one for us," Reginald smiled. "Not a day goes by I do not thank God for that old man bringing you into our lives."

"We checked into the adoption papers he said he would take of, and they were indeed legal, binding documents. You were ours and would always be from that day forward."

"Do you know what my other other mum and dad's names were?"

Olivia shook her head. "Sorry, love. No, we don't. It wasn't on the papers nor were we told."

Dalina cast her eyes downward. "Can I be alone for a little bit before we leave for grandmum's?"

Olivia and Reginald looked between each other. "Of course, sweetie," Reginald assured. "We understand this is quite a bit of information to take in all at once. Take the time you need." With another glance at his wife, he added, "Mum and I will be downstairs, alright?"

Dalina simply nodded, biting down on her bottom lip as she felt the mattress shift and spring upward more as her mother stood up. She watched her father return her desk chair to its proper place out the corner of her eye, and then their receeding forms leave the room entirely. Slowly, eight-year-old Dalina got up off her bed, leaving her backpack there, and sauntered back over to the window seat. She didn't sit down, however. She simply stared at the window, her focuse on a thousands of droplets clinging to the glass.

The more she stared at the droplets the more calm she felt, and suddenly they began to move. But not downward with gravity. They began to swirl around on the glass as if dancing. She narrowed her eyes and for whatever reason, her thoughts went back to the dream she'd had of the woman who was possibly her birth mother, when she made flowers appear out from the end of her weird stick.

And the droplets moved around to form the shape of a flower on the glasses, complete with stem and leaves. It swayed from side to side and the moment Dalina comprehended this, her eyes widened and she let out a gasp, causing the droplets to slide down the window, washed away by the oncoming rain still pelting the glass.


	2. Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

**When I wrote this it felt longer than the first chapter. Guess not. Oh well.**

**Thanks scabiorxxx and Dddd for the reviews ;)**

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><p>It was almost cruel that, of all days, this was the one that the sun decided to finally come out from behind the rain clouds for. The puddles were drying up, the ground a little less soggy as it had been, and birds were chirping happily from the telephone lines where they were perched in groups of ten or more. If any day should have been free of rain, it should have been three nights ago when Reginald and Olivia Blackmore got in their car, leaving Dalina behind at her grandmum's for an overnight visit so they could celebrate their nineteenth wedding anniversary with dinner followed by whatever else grown-ups did together. Dalina was only a child and naïve to such things.<p>

Instead of picturesque weather for optimum driving conditions, the downpour continued throughout the night, long after Dalina had been tucked into bed in her grandmum's house. She loved her grandmum to bits, even if she had found out, several hours before, that she wasn't her biological grandmum. She was the only grandmum she had ever known and they got on like a house on fire. In fact, if grandmum had been eight years old, or if Dalina was sixty, she was sure they would be best friends.

That evening, grandmum had made homemade pizza for dinner. Dalina had eaten three large slices but she was still able to make plenty of room for dessert which consisted of strawberry shortcake; the whipped topping made from heavy whipped cream, made by grandmum. And it was delicious as usual. Before bed, they both had cups of tea. Dalina liked hers like grandmum did; with extra sugar. The sweeter the better. She was tucked into bed shortly after watching a bit of telly, particularly part five of _Doctor Who_'s "The Monster Of Peladon". Grandmum couldn't follow, because she had never watched the programme before, but Dalina was entranced for the entire twenty-five minutes it aired.

When Dalina fell asleep that night, she had only thoughts about what would happen in part six of _Doctor Who_'s "The Monster of Peladon" the following Saturday. She was not thinking of anything terrible happening to her in real life.

She was woken up by the sound of grandmum crying sometime in the early hours of Sunday morning. The crying was coming from downstairs. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Dalina crawled out of bed in the extra bedroom that was made up especially for her as she was grandmum's only grandchild. She had once overheard her daddy saying his brother Chester would never have children because he was "light in the loafers". Whatever _that_ meant. Dalina stepped quietly into the hall and made her way to the stairs, holding onto the bannister with one hand as she peered down toward the first level of the house. Once she reached the bottom step she had tiptoed toward the living room where she found grandmum sitting on the sofa, head in her hands, while two police officers seemed to be consoling her.

Dalina just stood there in the archway between the foyer and the living room, staring at the three persons within, not knowing what was going on. She focused on grandmum and called out to her and the moment grandmum looked up, fresh tears began to stream down her face.

That was three nights ago.

Three nights ago when Reginald and Olivia Blackmore were in a head on collision with a lorry. The roads had been too slick from the rain and the driver of the lorry had looked down at his dashboard a moment too long and by the time he looked back up he had already drifted into the opposite lane and right into the Blackmores. Their Volvo had been no match for the larger vehicle.

Dalina had not been given the same, gory details grandmum had been given. Grandmum just gave her the much watered down version: "Your mummy and daddy were in a terrible accident and were hurt too badly. My darling girl, they didn't survive."

It was a Tuesday now, and such a bright and cheery late April day.

Dalina was sitting outside on the front step, leaning forward with a stick in her hand as she poked at the concrete pathway at her feet. She could feel the warmth of the sun upon her mane of dark brown hair that reached to the middle of her back. The colouring of her hair matched her outfit. She wore a black jumper, black skirt, white stockings and black, patent leather Mary Janes.

Uncle Chester's Citroën GS came rambling down the road and pulled into grandmum's cobblestone driveway. He turned off the ignition but didn't get out. He simply rolled the window down and smiled over at Dalina.

"'Ello, Lina Beana. Your grandmum inside?"

Dalina looked up and simply nodded.

"Cat got your tongue, dearie? You _can_ answer me with words."

Dalina just continued to stare, narrowing her green eyes. She didn't like to be patronised. Especially now when she was grieving. She could understand now why her dad had never been close to his brother. Uncle Chester was a bit of an arse.

The front door opened then and grandmum came out, tapping Dalina on the top of her head. "Come now, we have to get to the church."

Begrudgingly, Dalina got to her feet, tossing the stick into the grass as she followed grandmum obediently. Grandmum got into the passenger's side of Uncle Chester's car and Dalina got into the backseat behind her. As the car came to life, they pulled out of the driveway, onwards to the funeral.

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><p>The service had been droll and boring, and not enough to distract Dalina from staring at the two caskets side by side at the front of the church as the pastor rambled on and on. A few times Dalina looked around at everyone in attendance, filed into the small church that had seen its first religious service a few hundred years before. She noticed some distant relatives from both sides of the family; distant only because, with the exception of grandmum and Uncle Chester, there were no immediate family members present. Grandpa Blackmore had died a few years before Dalina had come into the picture and Olivia's parents had also died sometime before then. Uncle Chester was Reginald's only sibling and Olivia had none. It was great aunts, great uncles, cousins once and twice removed, friends, neighbors, Reginald's co-workers...<p>

...some old man with a long, white beard and a pair of half moon spectacles on the bridge of his nose.

Dalina turned slightly to look over her shoulder at him. He was dressed as typically as the other mourners in the church; in a simple dark suit and tie. His beard struck her as unusual. Not because of its length but because it was tied with some sort of pale string so that it wasn't unruly. And just as she was staring at him, he turned his attention from the pastor's recitation of Psalm 23 to Dalina.

Her eyes went wide as if she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing, and turned around abruptly in her seat in the front pew where she sat with grandmum and Uncle Chester, the former who was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Dalina wished she could cry as well, but she had run out over the last couple days. She understood and comprehended what death meant; that her mummy and daddy were dead and gone, never coming back. One day, when she was old and she, too, died, she would be reunited with them again. Grandmum tried painting a pretty picture of them being in heaven with God's angels.

It's not that Dalina didn't believe in God. For one, it was such a large concept for any child to truly grasp. But the idea of her mummy and daddy floating around on clouds, donned with wings and halos seemed unlikely. She liked the idea of them watching over her, though. It made her feel less of an orphan. And that was some irony, right there.

How many children were twice-orphaned by the time they were eight? Whether her birth parents, whoever they were, were alive or dead, they had orphaned her either way, allowing Reginald and Olivia to become her parents instead. She wished she could know who her birth parents were and exactly what the circumstances were that led to them not being able to care for her anymore, but she was thankful at the same time. The parents she had just lost had been the greatest parents she could have ever asked for. She never lacked for love, and she was going to miss that feeling. She had her grandmum now to take care of her and, as mentioned before, they got along swimmingly. She loved her grandmum and vice versa.

But it wasn't the same as her mummy and daddy. It never could or would be.

When the service ended, the palbearers, Uncle Chester included, proceeded in lifting both caskets up and carrying them down the narrow aisle between the rows of pews, outside to the cemetery beside the church. Dalina wasn't sure who was in which casket, but she trusted the palbearers did, so that when her mummy and daddy were buried, they were in the right plot.

Grandmum and Dalina followed next behind the caskets and then everyone else waited their turn to file out of their pews and out of the church. As the cemetery reached an incline, there two unearthed plots were, mounds of dirt off to the side and out of the way. Family and friends gathered round as the caskets were positioned to be lowered into the graves, slowly and steady. Dalina was holding onto two white roses that seemed to be drooping slightly. She was too busy staring at the caskets being lowered and barely listening to the pastor saying something about "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" to realise that the old man with the long beard and half moon spectacles was watching her from amongst the crowd of gathered mourners there for a final goodbye to Reginald and Olivia.

She didn't even notice that the more she focused on the caskets and how much she was going to miss her parents, that the roses started to straighten up and droop less, even blooming slightly.

The old man with the long beard and half moon spectacles did, however.


	3. You're A Witch, Dalina

One day shy of being three years and two months to the day since Reginald and Olivia Blackmore's funeral, was the last day of classes for Dalina for the school year; the last year at the Junior school she attended in Thetford where her grandmum lived, and she now lived as well. She had adapted well since the loss of her parents and was growing up into a lovely young girl. She was eleven now, having just celebrated her birthday on the 9th of April. She was a few centimetres taller, her hair was just as long as it had been, her body was starting to gain more definition, though not completely. She was still only eleven, after all.

As she bounded in the front door, she headed straight into the kitchen where she threw her brown leather backpack on the table. She immediately went for the cupboard where grandmum kept the snacks, pulling out a package of Jammie Dodgers and setting them on the table beside her backpack. Sitting down, she helped herself to a few of the shortbread biscuits and stared at the orange, floral wallpaper as she kicked her legs back and forth. She could hear grandmum walking around upstairs, probably in her sewing room, sewing something. Possibly a quilt. One of their neighbours was expecting their first child by the end of summer and grandmum liked to gift homemade quilts for any occasion that called for one.

"Dalina? Is that you?" Grandmum called down from the second floor.

With a full mouth, Dalina replied, "Yeah."

"A strange letter came for you today." Grandmum's voice was getting louder, signalling the woman was descending the stairs to greet her granddaughter. She appeared moments later in the archway to the kitchen. "It quite literally flew threw the post slot, and landed on the foyer floor. The postman must've been in some rush to deliver the other letters to our neighbours today."

Dalina turned her attention to her grandmum, setting down a Jammie Dodger had been about to consume. "What kind of letter?"

"I'm not entirely sure. There's some sort of crest in the upper lefthand corner with four animals on it. It says Hogwarts on the top. I have no idea what Hogwarts is." Grandmum pulled an envelope with a red wax seal on the back out of her apron pocket and handed it over to Dalina. "Have you sent away for some sort of book club? I know how much you like to read," she added with a smirk before giving Dalina a quick but gentle pinch to her cheek. She then moved to take the Jammie Dodgers from the girl and put them away. "And no more of these. You'll spoil your supper."

Dalina was too distracted by curiosity over the letter that she wasn't really listening to anything her grandmum had said. She flipped the envelope over a few times, studying it closely before breaking the wax seal on the back. Within the envelope was a letter folded in half that she warily pulled out, discovering their was another letter behind the first. Opening the first, Dalina's green eyes widened with amusement.

"Well, what's it say, darling?" Grandmum questioned, giving a brief glance over her shoulder.

Dalina cleared her throat:

_"Dear Dalina Blackmore,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall _

_Deputy __Headmistress"_

Dalina raised an eyebrow, confused. Grandmum did the same thing as she turned around from the kitchen counter to get a better look at the letter. "I don't get it," Dalina muttered. "Is this a prank? Grandmum, did you do this?" she questioned with a small laugh, holding the letter up for her grandmum to read over for herself.

"I have no idea what this is, darling." Grandmum glanced at the second page in Dalina's hand. "What does that say?"

Dalina looked down at it, scanning all it said. "It's a list of requirements: uniforms, books..." she trailed when she reached the bottom. She almost jumped out of her seat from excitement. Whether this letter was a joke or not, she loved it. "One wand, one cauldron?" Dalina giggled. "And it says at the very bottom that 'Parents are reminded that First Years are not allowed their own broomsticks'. This is too funny! I still don't get it, but I like it!"

"This _has_ to be a joke," Grandmum insisted. "Perhaps Uncle Chester is playing games with you."

"Unlikely." Dalina made a face.

"Well, I don't have any other explanation for this." Grandmum handed the first page back.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. Both grandmother and grandchild looked up in the direction of the front door. Dalina, still holding the letter in her hand, got up off her chair.

"I'll get it." She was still looking down at the letter as she walked into the foyer and to the front door. She wasn't really paying attention as she turned the knob and opened the door to see who was on the other side. A glint of purple material caught her eye as she turned to look at who it was standing before her. "Hello, can I help..."

Dalina cut herself off when she looked all the way up into the face of the same old man with the long beard and half moon spectacles she had seen three years earlier at her parents' funeral.

"Hello, Dalina," he greeted with a small smile. "I see you have received your acceptance letter. Good. Might I come in?"

"Uh..." she hesitated. "Grandmum?"

"Yes, darling?"

"There's a man at the door who knows about the letter I got. He wants to come in."

Grandmum was in the foyer faster than anyone could blink. "Can I help you?" she asked when she greeted the man at her doorstep.

He smiled. "Yes. I'm Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and you are Ms. Emma Blackmore, grandmother of one Dalina Blackmore, correct?"

Grandmum lost her voice for a moment, but quickly found it. "Uh, yes. Yes, I am. Um...please, do come in," she gestured for him to join them in the living room.

"Why, thank you."

As he stepped across the threshold, Dalina closed the door behind him and followed him and her grandmum into the living room. They each took seats next to each other on the sofa, but he remained standing in front of the fireplace to their left.

"Could you please explain to us what this Hogwarts School is? My granddaughter and I do not understand. Is this a joke? A lottery for children, perhaps?"

"Oh, it is no joke. It is a school for magical children; young wizards and witches."

"Really?" Dalina asked with a big smile on her face.

Dumbledore nodded. "Really." He smirked, looking at Dalina; both moved and amused by how exicted she seemed to be.

"I'm sorry," Grandmum shook her head and knitted her eyebrows together. "I still don't understand."

"The easiest way I can explain it is that magic is real, it exists in the world. There are many born with magic in them; they are wizards and witches. Every country has their own school. Here in the United Kingdom is Hogwarts. There are other schools like Beauxbatons Academy in France. Had you been born in Paris," he looked at Dalina, "You'd be going there." He glanced between Dalina and her grandmum, before continuing on. "You, Dalina, are a witch, just like your birth mother was, and your birth father was a wizard. They attended Hogwarts as well, once upon a time."

"They did?" Dalina looked at her grandmum, then back to Dumbledore. "How come I never knew about this?"

"It was a safety precaution," he explained. "Your parents unfortunately became involved with the dark side of magic and with some very bad wizards and witches."

"What happened to them?"

"They were killed, but not before they hid you away in a secret closet within a closet and sent word to me, asking for my help in protecting you. They wanted you safe from harm, no matter what came their way."

"Killed?" Grandmum repeated. "Oh dear."

Dalina looked down at the coffee table in front of the sofa she sat on. She leaned forward, setting her acceptance letter she still had in her hands onto the table, then went about picking at her fingernails. Dumbledore noted the change in her demeanor as sadness from knowing she would for certain never meet her birth parents; something she had clearly wondered whether or not would be a possibility for her some day.

"Your birth parents loved you so very much, but their dealings caught up with them." Dumbledore moved around to sit down in the chair catty-corner to Dalina's side of the sofa. He patted his hand on her leg. "You were the one, truly good thing they ever did."

"How do we know this magic is real, that you aren't pulling our legs for sport?" Grandmum questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"That's easy," he responded. "Dalina, have you ever made something strange happen without meaning to?"

"How do you mean?" Dalina raised her head to look at Dumbledore. Her voice was a bit sullen from her thoughts still lingering over the news of her birth parents having been killed.

"Have you ever made something appear, or move on its own?"

Dalina sat quietly for a few moments. She thought about the rain drops on her window the day she learned she was adopted and how they moved to form into the shape of a flower. Then there was the time last year in school when she dropped her pencil on the floor and it bounced back up onto her desk on its own. No one had been looking to see it happen, so she thought she had imagined it at the time. Now she was reconsidering.

"Yes," finally came her answer. "Can _you_ do magic?"

"I can do a great many things," Dumbledore quipped. From inside his left sleeve, he used his right hand to pull out a strange stick with three bumps on it closer to the base.

"What's that?"

"My wand." Without another word, he pointed the wand upward and muttered, "Orchideous." Immediately a plethora of flowers blossomed from the tip of his wand.

"Flowers!" Dalina squealed, a smile plastering itself onto her face. "I have a memory of my birth mother doing the same thing! I used to think it was just a dream I had, but my mummy told me it was probably a memory instead."

Dumbledore smirked and plucked one of the flowers from the bouquet and handed it to Dalina. It was a yellow tulip. She took it graciously and smelled it, her eyes twinkling when she realised it was the real deal. She showed it to grandmum who gave the flower a whiff, also surprised by the fact it was authentic and not some fake flower second rate magicians used in their acts.

"How did you do that?" Grandmum questioned.

Removing a second flower from the bouquet, a pink carnation, Dumbledore passed it over to grandmum and gave her a knowing look. "Magic." He shook the wand without muttering another word as the flowers fell from the tip of the wand as nothing more than many petals, which disappeared as soon as they touched the carpet.

Dalina had craned her neck to watch, still holding onto the tulip in her hands, twirling it idly between her fingers. "So what happens now? Where is Hogwarts? Where do I get the things I'll need?"

"How much does it cost?" Grandmum interjected, thinking more straightly and sensibly.

"You'll have to go to Diagon Alley. There is a brick wall behind The Leaky Cauldron in London. Dalina need only ask for help and she will be shown which bricks to knock on. It will reveal an archway which serves as an entrance into Diagon Alley. There are numerous shops where you can purchase all you need. Gringotts Bank will be able to convert muggle currency to wizarding currency so you may make said purchases. I will see to it a follow-up letter is sent your way very shortly, to help understand what needs to be done on your part, Ms. Blackmore. Muggle parents or guardians of magical children often have a time of it, trying to wrap their heads around the concept of magic being real and what the coming school years will entail."

Looking up at Dumbledore, Dalina furrowed her brow. "Mr. Dumbledore," she spoke innocently. "What is a muggle?"

"Oh, a muggle is a non-magical person, like your dear grandmother here. Men and women who are magical are wizards and witches. You are a pureblood witch, born of a long line of witches and wizards, though blood status should not be important, even if it seems to be for a good many purebloods." Dumbledore sighed, clearly thinking on something that must be plaguing his mind at the moment. He offered a twinkling of his eye to cast away the dark shadows in his thoughts. "A person born to magical parents but is not magical themselves is a squib. They cannot attend Hogwarts but may work there when they are adults. We have one such squib, Mr. Filch. He is our caretaker. You will eventually make his acquaintance, but be warned, he is a bit ornery. Best you learn that early on."

Dumbledore stood up then, placing his wand back up his sleeve.

"Are you leaving?" Grandmum asked, standing as well. "Would you care to stay for supper?"

He shook his hand and let out a small chuckle. "Oh, no thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I have other children in Dalina's situation to visit before the day is over." Dumbledore moved to turn and head toward the foyer, before stopping and looking down at Dalina. "One more thing: be at King's Cross Station on September 1st, Platform 9¾. The train for Hogwarts leaves promptly at 11 AM." With a look to grandmum, he added, "Only Dalina will be able to go through to the platform for Hogwarts. You will have to stay behind."

Dalina stood up as well this time as grandmum moved around the coffee table to sidle up to Dumbledore. "When can we expect this further information about your school and what we need to do? And...I am still not entirely convinced this magic stuff is real."

Dumbledore gave her a look that bordered on mischievous. "I guess the only thing I can do to convice you is this," he commented, raising his eyebrows slightly, before disappearing suddenly as if being sucked into a invisible, spiraling portal, which was accompanied by a loud, popping noise that sounded almost like a car backfiring.

Dalina could feel something different in the air the moment he disappeared. It was like static electricity. She turned and looked up at her grandmum who was deathly still and appeared to be in some sort of shock, before her eyes rolled upward and she fainted to the ground.

"Grandmum!" Dalina clamoured to the sixty-three year old woman's side, kneeling beside her and giving her a good slap to her face. "Grandmum, are you alright?"

Grandmum stirred and her eyes fluttered. "H-he...he va-vanished! Into thin air!" she sputtered, trying to sit up. "H-how did he do that?"

Dalina just grinned happily, turning back to the spot in the foyer that Dumbledore had been standing only a minute prior. "Because he's magical," she replied. "Just like me."


	4. All Aboard

For Dalina and her grandmum, finding The Leaky Cauldron in London had been rather easy. It was located on Charing Cross Road and looked like a broken-down old shop front, sandwiched between a book shop and a record store. They were not there for food, drink or a place to sleep for the night but simply to find the entrance to Diagon Alley to start shopping for Dalina's school things. The barman and innkeeper, Tom, although a creepy, baldheaded hunchback, was very helpful in pointing them to the chilly little courtyard where a brick wall was. As per the instructions they had been sent following the acceptance letter, by an actual owl, and reiterated by Tom the innkeeper, Dalina knocked on the brick wall in a counter-clockwise motion until the bricks suddenly rearranged themselves to form a doorway. After a few moments of apprehension, Dalina and her grandmum passed through into Diagon Alley.

All at once they had been struck dumb with the sights. Men, women and children were dressed oddly in simple black or colourful robes, some even wearing pointed hats on their heads. They walked along the cobbled alley and shopping area, taking in the sights of the array of restaurants and shops. Dalina was well aware she and her grandmum must've stuck out like sore thumbs with their muggle clothes. However, she was too distracted by the scenery to truly care. She was just so entranced with every shop's window displays and that fact that this all really existed, that she wanted to dart inside each establishment and take it all in at once.

But first things were first. They needed to find Gringotts Wizarding Bank which, like The Leaky Cauldron, had been a piece of cake to find. It was the largest building there; something to behold, that was for sure.

Once inside, grandmum became uneasy, noticing goblins positioned as tellers. She grabbed Dalina's arm subconsciously, as either a precaution if the need arose to protect her granddaughter or that she was simply a bit frightened by the sight of them. Griphook was the name of the goblin that assisted them. Grandmum had brought what she believe to be a fair amount of money and when it was converted for them, she had no idea what the exchange rate was; if they had gotten the better end of the deal or not.

Leaving the bank, they made their way for the first stop on the school supplies list: Ollivander's Wand Shop.

The bell above the door dinged as they entered and Mr. Ollivander came out into the store front with a smile on his face. "Ahh, a new student of Hogwarts come to buy their first wand, eh?"

Dalina nodded, biting down on her bottom lip from nerves. She had no idea what to expect.

"Yes, yes...let's get you started in finding the right wand for you, shall we?" His question was rhetorical as he moved to a section of narrow boxes to the right of him. He pulled down one box, after apparently deciding the others he almost pulled down just wouldn't do. He opened the box, setting it on the counter in front of him and handed the wand within to Dalina.

Hesitating a bit, she stepped forward, feeling her grandmum's eyes on her back. Dalina gripped the base of the wand and just held it, not sure what she was supposed to do.

"Go on," Ollivander urged. "Give it a try."

"How?"

"Just give it a slight flick of your wrist." Dalina did just that, which resulted in a few papers on a cabinet behind him to flutter around. "No, not that isn't right." He took the wand back and went about finding another one. He tapped his chin, walking out into the main floor to reach up onto a shelf where he grabbed another box. "Yes, perhaps this one."

Dalina was still a bit shaken by what she had been able to do with the previous wand as he passed the second one to her. She pointed the wand upward and jerked her hand slightly. What followed next was the light dimming and then a sudden burst of sparks before the light went out completely.

"Not that one," Ollivander snatched the wand from her hand abruptly as if she had just offended him.

On instinct, grandmum touched her hand affectionately to Dalina's shoulder as if to console her. Ollivander began moving around, back toward the counter where he ducked down behind it. Dalina and her grandmum could hear him rustling around, going through several boxes before he finally stood back up, presenting her with a box, which he opened. This time, however, he did not take it out for her, but simply nodded for her to do it herself.

"I think third time will be a charm for you, my dear."

Wary at best, Dalina's delicate hand wrapped around of the base. She held it up in her hands and looked at it first, studying its detail. The base looked like three skeletal finger bones connected together while the top half twisted like a peppermint twist. It was beautifully made. Dalina began to smile as she pointed and aimed at the area before her. Out the corner of her eye she could see Ollivander was bracing himself, just in case. With a glimmer of determination in her green eyes, Dalina jabbed the wand forward a bit and a bit of wind fluttered about the room. Nothing crazy happened this time, but the light she had caused to supposedly break not minutes before returned to normal and the sheets of parchment she had scattered to the floor with the first wand returned to their rightful place on top of the cabinet.

"Ah, yes. Third time is indeed a charm." Ollivander smiled and took the wand back from her, placing it in the box. "Good wand, too, if I do say so myself. I made this one in 1943." He admired it for a moment, laying there in its box. "Alder wood, twelve inches...with dragon heartstring core. Efficient." He glanced at Dalina and quirked an eyebrow at her. "I daresay you felt a connection with this, didn't you, the moment you held it in your hand?"

Dalina nodded. "I felt like it belonged to me."

Ollivander pointed and smirked. "That's because it chose you."

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><p>The rest of the day, shopping had been just as successful. Dalina purchased all the books she would need, eight in total, which was not fun at all to lug around. She also purchased a cauldron, her uniform, robes, telescope, a set of crystal phials, a set of brass scales and lastly she would need to bring a cat, toad or owl with her. She was certainly not going to bring a toad. They disgusted her. She didn't want to be bothered with an owl as they might be loud and annoying. She had always loved cats, so she chose that route. When they made the drive back home to Thetford that evening with all her supplies, they made a plan to head to the local animal shelter and find a cat in need.<p>

Later that week, Dalina had brought home a black cat with one white paw she named Rhiannon. She immediately began to go through all the books she would be studying from, tried on her uniform and robes and fantasised about what school life would be like at Hogwarts. She had never been away from home before and being away from her grandmum would definitely be a challenge. Dalina was already trying to brace herself for the homesickness she would no doubt suffer from initially.

Eventually, the day came. On August 31st, they had spent the night at a hotel nearest to King's Cross and the following morning they were lugging her belongings and cat carrier which held Rhiannon within on a trolley at a quarter to ten in the morning. She pushed the trolley all by herself as they made their way to wherever Platform 9¾ was. They found Platform 9 and Platform 10, but that was it. Dalina looked up at her grandmum and shrugged, looking very lost.

That was when a girl with red hair, about her age and a trolley of her own, came walking up with a couple who looked to be in their early to mid thirties; the woman had red hair like the girl. The man, however, was blonde. The ginger girl smiled when she saw Dalina. "First time going to Hogwarts, too?" she asked.

Dalina looked at her grandmum then to the girl and nodded with a nervous smile. "Yes. I don't know where to get to Platform 9¾, though. I only see 9 and 10."

"It's straight through the wall, sweetie," said the ginger woman who was obviously the girl's mum.

"What?" Dalina was sure she had heard wrong.

"You walk through the wall right there and come out on the other side to Platform 9¾." The woman smiled assuringly. "Trust me, my husband and I did it several times in the seven years we attended Hogwarts, many a moon ago."

"Want me to go first to show you?" the ginger girl asked.

Dalina shook her head. "No, I'll do it. But if I crash into the wall and make a fool of myself I will swear revenge," she joked with a nervous laugh. Inhaling a steadying breath, Dalina eyed the brick partition in front of her with white signs on either side that stated one side was Platform 9 and the other was Platform 10. Dalina looked up to her grandmum, remembering she couldn't come with. "Well, see you at Christmas, grandmum."

Grandmum smiled ruefully and leaned down to kiss the top of her granddaughter's head followed by a gentle touch to her upper back. "Be sure to write me as much as you want."

"I will."

The ginger girl's parents looked at Dalina's grandmum with a knowing look. "Muggle?" they asked with a smirk.

Grandmum just nodded. "Yes."

"Bye, grandmum!" Dalina called out and without a moment's notice ran toward the wall.

She had braced herself, closing her eyes to ready for possible impact, only to feel nothing but a slight breeze as she kept on moving. When she reopened her eyes, she found herself on a different platform and a scarlet red steam engine sat on the tracks before her. There seemed to be hundreds of children and their families huddled around, saying their goodbyes as children from ages eleven to seventeen stood around, preparing to board Hogwarts Express.

Looking up, Dalina noticed the red and black sign on the wall that stated this was in fact Platform 9¾. She smiled to herself just as the ginger girl from moments before came up behind her, followed by her parents.

"See?" the ginger girl spoke. "No injuries."

"No, I guess not." Dalina lifted her right hand from the trolley and offered it for a shake. "I'm Dalina Blackmore, by the way."

"Esther Talmudge. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"_Stop it!_" they both heard a girl's voice call out with a giggle. They turned their heads to see a teenaged girl, probably going into her sixth or seventh year, with red hair that hung below her shoulder and pretty green eyes. She was running after a boy her age with brown hair and round eyeglasses that reminded Dalina of John Lennon's eyeglasses. He was holding a book of some sort and wouldn't give it back while trying to steal kisses from her. "_James_, stop it."

"Have to kiss me first," he taunted.

The older girl simply gave him a sniggering smile and slapped him on the arm, but readily obliged him with a kiss.

Dalina and Esther looked at each other and giggled. "So, you're a muggle-born, then?" Esther asked, turning back to their own conversation.

"Dumbledore said my parents were purebloods when he visited me after I got my acceptance letter. He said my birth parents were killed and that's why I was adopted by muggles; to keep me safe from...whatever," Dalina shrugged. She still had no idea just what it was her birth parents had been involved with that was so terrible Dalina had to be hidden away from it.

"Wow, that had to have blown your mind when you found out then, huh?"

"Something like that."

"We should sit together on the train," Esther asserted. "We don't know anyone else as it is. And we've already been introduced. Two birds, one stone, all that."

"Are you pureblood?" Dalina asked, curious.

Esther shook her head. "No. Halfblood. My dad's muggle-born, mum's a pureblood. Best of both worlds, I say."

Dalina smiled. While she was pureblood by birth, she had no solid memory or experiences of a wizarding life and was brought up only knowing the muggle way of life for the last eight years, unlike Esther who had clearly been brought up knowing both.

"Esther, darling, dad and I will see that your belongings are boarded onto the train," Mrs. Talmudge said to her daughter. She then looked to Dalina. "Dear, we'll see that your things board the train as well, alright?"

Dalina gave an appreciative nod. "Thank you, Mrs. Talmudge."

"You're quite welcome, dear." Then she added, "Don't either of you forget your animals." She gestured at the Barred owl asleep in its cage on top of Esther's luggage.

"Yes, mum," Esther replied with an eyeroll.

Dalina reached for Rhiannon's cat carrier and held the handle in her hands as she waited for Esther to kiss her mum and dad goodbye. A slight pang echoed in Dalina's chest, suddenly missing her parents, her adoptive ones, wishing they could be there to see her off to Hogwarts for the first time. She hoped that wherever they were, they were watching over her.

Esther had decided upon the passenger carriage they would sit in for the many hours they would spend traveling. Apparently they wouldn't reach Hogwarts until after nightfall. The carriage was empty as they sat down across from each other so they they had window seats. They then placed their animals on the seats beside them and Dalina took Rhiannon out of her carrier and onto her lap. The black cat began to knead into Dalina's leg for a few minutes before circling her lap once and laying down, waiting to be petted to sleep.

"What's your cat's name?" Esther asked.

"Rhiannon. What's your owl's name?"

"Ringo."

Dalina giggled. "Beatles?"

Esther nodded. "Love 'em. I wish they were still together," she replied. "Why Rhiannon for your cat?"

"It's the name of a witch from Welsh folklore. I thought it was rather fitting."

The door to their carriage slid open without warning and a boy with shaggy brown hair and blue-grey eyes stood there, looking between both girls. "'Ello. Can I sit in 'ere?" he asked with a Cockney accent.

Dalina shrugged. "Sure." She moved Rhiannon's carrier to the floor so he had a place to sit.

"Thanks," he spoke, taking the seat beside her. In his hands arms was a carrier similar to Dalina's. "We both brought cats."

"What kind do you have?" she wondered, not able to see it while it.

"Siamese. Don't know if it's a boy or girl, but I'm callin' it Jester."

"What's your name?" Esther asked.

"Alvin Scabior."

"Hi, Alvin. I'm Esther Talmudge, she's Dalina Blackmore."

Alvin looked at Dalina and smiled as the carriage door opened once more. This time it was a female with pale blonde hair and grey eyes. She looked rather mousy but she was dressed impeccibly in a silk blouse that screamed wealth.

"Hello, mind if I join you lot?" she asked, taking the seat beside Esther without waiting for an answer. She closed the door behind her and placed a carrier on her lap. "Well, it looks like we all are cat lovers here." She looked at Esther and gave a slightly withering look. "Well, except for you and your owl." She quickly turned her attention away toward Dalina and Alvin. "I'm Lorelei O'Neill, and you are?"

The three took turns introducing themselves, and their cats; owl in Esther's case.

"This is Silver," Lorelei gestured to the carrier on her lap. "She's a British Longhair." As she attempted to open the carrier door, a furry white paw came out and tried to take a swipe at its owner. "And she's a bit temperamental."

Esther just gave Lorelei a smile. Dalina could tell it was forced. And Lorelei just seemed to feel the same way. Those two would clearly not end up as friends after the train ride was over. Until then, they would all make nice.

"Before we reach the school we all have to change into our uniforms and robes," Lorelei announced. "My brother Finian is a third year. He told me so."

Dalina just nodded at this as she turned her attention toward their carriage door, noticing a group of older students walking past. One in particular caught Dalina's eye. He was considerably tall, lean, with a pale skin colouring and black hair that looked a bit on the greasy side. His nose was slightly hooked and his clothes possibly second-hand. Despite his odd appearance he didn't seem that bad. In a way, she supposed he was handsome.

When he turned his head and peered inside for a brief moment, Dalina turned away as if being caught staring and sat back in her seat, staring ahead at Esther while Lorelei started a conversation with Alvin, who already seem uninterested with the blonde.

This was going to be an interesting trip, indeed.


	5. Your House Is Your Home

**Well, this chapter is considerably longer than I had expected. And it took a few days longer because my birthday yesterday got into the way of writing. Alas, here is the new chapter. Hope you all enjoy. I seen I have many hits but not many reviews. Me, sad. :( Reviews make a writer happy!**

* * *

><p>A couple of hours into the train ride, Dalina and the other three had opened up more, chatting about this and that, including what they expected their school life at Hogwarts to be like. Lorelei was the only one of the four in their carriage to offer any actual facts as she had her older brother's experiences to pull from. As Dalina learned, both Esther and Alvin were only children like she was. Lorelei had her older brother Finian and a younger sister named Moira who would start Hogwarts in three years' time.<p>

Eventually a witch with a tea trolley had come by and asked if they wanted to buy any goodies. Lorelei was the first to purchase some treats, not one to shy away from the fact she came from money. Esther bought a pumpkin pasty only, while Dalina got both a pumpkin pasty, a chocolate frog because it intrigued her and a strawberry flavored lolly. Alvin was asked last by the trolley witch, but he shook his head and the witch went on her way to the next carriage. Dalina looked at him while Esther and Lorelei enjoyed their treats, noting he had probably declined because he didn't have enough to spend on extras.

Not to single him out and embarass him, Dalina held out her lolly to him. "I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach," she told him nonchalantly. "Do you want this? I don't want it to go to waste."

Alvin met her look and smiled slightly. "Yeah, sure." He took the lolly and slowly unwrapped the plastic covering. "Thanks."

"No problem," Dalina shrugged.

Eventually the sun had set and the children on board had already changed into their school uniforms and robes by then. Before they knew it, Hogwarts Express began to slow down as it pulled into Hogsmeade Station. They grabbed up their animal carriers, cage in Esther's case, and whatever extra belongings they had on them at present they brought along as the got off the train.

It was like organised chaos as Dalina looked around, unable to see over most the heads of the older students. She had no idea where she was supposed to go or what to do; Esther, Alvin and Lorelei seemed just as confused. That was until she saw an incredibly tall and robust wizard with dark hair to his shoulders that reminded Dalina of steel wool and dark beard that was bushy and as equally coarse-looking as his hair. He was dressed simply in dark brown and rust colours, a brown duster of sorts about him for a coat. He was holding a lantern up and gesturing toward some docks.

"All firs' years this way wit' me," he called out. "Don' worry none 'bout yer luggage. It'll all be brough' up t' the castle."

Esther grabbed a hold of Dalina's hand. "So we don't get separated," she announced, trying to put on a brave face, though it was probably out of the fear of getting lost and not knowing anyone else yet. Lorelei and Alvin, excluded.

Dalina just smiled and held her new friend's hand as they followed the group of First Years splitting off from the large pack of older students heading in another direction toward a bunch of horseless carriages. The First Years were being lead toward some docks where several small boats were located. The tall, robust wizard who introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts' gamekeeper, ushered the First Years into the boats. Dalina ended up in one with Esther, a blonde boy who introduced himself as Leviticus Malfoy and a ginger boy named Oscar Fielding. Once all were in the boats, they began to moved on their own, without the help of paddles, out into the lake at the base of Hogwarts Castle.

Soon enough the castle came into view and Dalina was spellbound. It sat up high above the lake on the hilly terrain like something out of every fairytale Dalina had ever been told or read on her own whilst growing up.

"It's better than I imagined," Esther muttered, taking the words right out of Dalina's mouth.

Leviticus gave Esther a withering look. "We aren't even there yet."

She shot him a look right back. "But it looks cool from the outside."

"It's just a castle. Haven't you ever seen a castle before?"

"Not one I was going to live in!"

Dalina rolled her eyes in amusement over the pair arguing back and forth over something so petty. She just ignored them, catching the look of Oscar who seemed to share the same thought process as her, that Esther and Leviticus were bickering for no good reason.

Eventually, the boats reach another set of docks closer to the school and all the First Years along with Hagrid got out, with him leading the way up to the castle. Esther reached for Dalina's hand again, this time as a comfort thing; as friends. Dalina's chest swelled slightly, liking that she already had someone she could consider a good friend. She liked Alvin, Lorelei and Leviticus as well, from the amount of time she had gotten to know them on their travels. Granted the travel time with Leviticus was shorter within the boats, but he was also cute, so he had that in his favour. Oscar, on the other hand, hadn't talked much so she couldn't get a proper feel for him.

As they all reached the main entrance to the castle, Dalina's breath hitched and bit her bottom lip. The doors opened and they filed in where they were met with all the older students once more. In the front of everyone was an old witch in green velvet robes and a pointed black hat with wide brim atop her head. Her hat was cliche of all the witches hats Dalina had ever seen in cartoons or pictures. The older witch began to dictate to the older students to head into the Great Hall while the First Years were to wait.

They couldn't see into the Great Hall where the older students went as they were a about two metres back from it and the doors closed on them anyway. There was no telling what the layout of the Great Hall was. The anticipation was just about killing them all though.

The old witch in front of them introduced herself to the eleven year olds in her presence with a firm expression laced with a ghost of a smile. She could see that the children were nervous and wanted them to be at ease with their new surroundings.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. My name is Professor Minerva McGonagall, I am Deputy Headmistress," she greeted them officially. "Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors, and join your classmates. When we enter, you will all follow behind me and do try to do so in an orderly fashion. I do not want any stragglers to fall behind."

Just then the doors open, McGonagall turned to face the Great Hall and then stepped forward without another word. It was unspoken that the First Years were to immediately follow behind her.

As Dalina began to walk into the large room, her black dress robes swished around her and she took notice of all the candles lighting up the place, and levitating several metres above the ground. "The candles are floating!" she cooed to Esther.

"Look at the ceiling!" Esther exclaimed in an excited whisper.

Dalina followed her new friend's gaze upward at the ceiling and saw that it appeared it wasn't even there. It looked like the starry night sky that was outside. "Wow," was the only word Dalina could manage. She brought her gaze downward and looked briefly at the faces of all the older students seated at four separate, and very long tables, looking back at all the First Years with amused, expectant and slightly intrigued expressions on their faces.

Suddenly, Dalina bumped into someone in front of her and muttered a quick apology when she noticed McGonagall had stopped at the base of an elevated area where another long table with adults sat. There was also a podium with some sort of bird with full wingspan adorned to it. In the center of the area was a stool and a brown, leather wizard's hat that was patched and frayed and had obviously seen better days, or years rather. McGonagall stepped up to the area and turned to the First Years before her.

The hat suddenly sprung to life, startling several of the students in the front. They had long since abandoned any order and stood, resembling a mob, watching as the hat began to sing a song.

_"A thousand years or more ago_

_When I was newly sewn,_

_There lived four wizards of renown,_

_Whose names are still well known:_

_Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,_

_Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,_

_Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,_

_Shrewd Slytherin, from fen._

_They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,_

_They hatched a daring plan_

_To educate young sorcerers_

_Thus Hogwarts School began._

_Now each of these four founders_

_Formed their own house, for each_

_Did value different virtues_

_In the ones they had to teach._

_By Gryffindor, the bravest were_

_Prized far beyond the rest;_

_For Ravenclaw, the cleverest_

_Would always be the best;_

_For Hufflepuff, hard workers were_

_Most worthy of admission;_

_And power-hungry Slytherin_

_Loved those of great ambition._

_While still alive they did divide_

_Their favourites from the throng,_

_Yet how to pick the worthy ones_

_When they were dead and gone?_

_Twas Gryffindor who found the way,_

_He whipped me off his head_

_The founders put some brains in me_

_So I could choose instead!_

_Now slip me snug about your ears,_

_I've never yet been wrong,_

_I'll have a look inside your mind_

_And tell where you belong!"_

When the song ended, McGonagall pulled out a parchment from within her robes and looked upon the Frist Years before her. "When I call your names," she spoke to them, "you will come up here and take a seat upon this stool. The Sorting Hat shall be placed upon your head and declare what House you belong in. After it is decided you will join your new housemates at your House's table." She looked knowingly at them. "While you are here at Hogwarts, your housemates will become your family, your House will be your home."

Then the names were called. The first name was Julian Coughlan, a boy Dalina had noticed only briefly in passing when they were first getting into the boats. He walked up nervously to the stool and sat down on it as McGonagall placed the hat on his head. It began to move about as if it was whispering something to Julian. After a few short moments, the Sorting Hat bellowed, "Ravenclaw!"

The students at the table to the far right of the Sorting Hat erupted in in cheers and applause, causing a smile to break out onto Julian's face as he hopped down off the stool, almost forgetting to take the hat off his head. He quickly turned and plucked it off, setting it down on the stool before heading over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Lorelei O'Neill," McGonagall called, clearly not going in alphabetical order.

Lorelei sauntered up to the stool as if she had done this all before, which she never had. It could only be chalked up to her brother Finian having informed her of what to expect. She sat down on the stool very ladylike and placed the hat on her head. But before it was completely on, it announced, "Slytherin!"

Several more students were sorted into all four houses before anyone else Dalina had made the acquaintance of was called up for their turn. Then it was time for Leviticus. And as with Lorelei, the hat wasn't on his head a few seconds before it declared him to be another Slytherin. He walked off proudly to join his housemates and a part of Dalina wished she could be in that house too, simply because she still thought him cute and had already gotten to know both Lorelei and Leviticus and liked them well enough.

"Esther Talmudge."

Esther looked nervously at Dalina, but it was excited nerves. She gave Dalina's hand a squeeze. Wearing a determined expression, Esther stepped through the group of students in front of them and ascended onto the stool, placing the hat on her head. She began to make a face as it was clearly saying something to her.

Finally, "Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table to Dalina's immediate left cheered and clapped for their newest addition. Esther beamed and gave Dalina a quick thumbs up before marching over to table. Dalina decided then that she was set on being in either Slytherin or Gryffindor. The others she had befriended were in both houses so far.

Three more names were called and those three were sorted; one into Hufflepuff and two into Ravenclaw.

"Dalina Blackmore."

Dalina's head whipped toward McGonagall. She swallowed back a lump in her throat and took a steady breath before walking up to the stool. She eyed the hat for a moment and cast her eyes over to the table where all the professors sat. She caught sight of Dumbledore seated in the largest chair in the middle and he smiled briefly at her. Picking up the Sorting Hat, she set it on her lap while she hopped up onto the stool and finally lifted it up to place on her head. The hat seemed to force itself down around her ears and began to speak quietly to her.

"Hmm...you are interesting. A bright mind...you'd do well in Ravenclaw."

"No," she muttered.

"No? It's Gryffindor or Slytherin you desire, hmm? Well, let's see...in Gryffindor I see you as a great and loyal friend, standing up for those you love above all else. In Slytherin I see you going after your dreams. You have ties to Slytherin you don't even know about. This is a tough one."

"Just pick one of the two, I don't care," she spoke.

"Quite a bold remark, Miss Blackmore," the Sorting Hat murmured, as if it was amused with her. "Gryffindor!" it bellowed in her ears and to everyone else.

Dalina looked up and saw Esther's face light up, clapping her hands excitedly before the rest of the Gryffindor table could. Dalina was fine with the decision. Hopping down from the stool she placed it down and was almost positive the hat winked at her before she turned to walk down to the Gryffindor table and take the empty seat beside Esther.

"This is great! We get to be housemates now! Maybe we'll be able to share a room, too!" Esther all but squealed.

"Alvin Scabior."

Dalina just nodded at Esther and turned to see Alvin head up to the stool as she and the others had done before him. After a few moments of the hat on his head, he was declared to be another Slytherin. Dalina was slightly crestfallen. It was turning out that most of the people she had chummed with during their travels here were ending up in Slytherin. Esther was the only one so far in Gryffindor, where Dalina now was. She watched as Alvin sauntered over to the Slytherin table, which was at the far left of the Sorting Hat. He took a seat beside Leviticus and both smiled over at Dalina who smiled back. All three gave each other a look that suggested it was quite a bummer they couldn't be in the same house together. Dalina was tempted to ask for a redo, but she really liked Esther and the other Gryffindors seemed really nice from the greetings they had given her when she first sat down.

She looked down the length of her own table toward the direction of the older students and noticed the red haired girl and brown haired boy with John Lennon-esque eyeglasses from just before she boarded Hogwarts Express. They were busy joking amongst each other and three other male friends; one was rather handsome with shaggy, shoulder-length brown hair, the second was another brunette who looked rather astute, and the third was blonde and portly. Dalina moved her eyes back down the Gryffindor table and back over to the Slytherin one. She noticed the black-haired pale boy with the slightly hooked nose she had seen on the train. He was chatting with some bloke his age and occasionally stealing glances up toward someone at the end of the Gryffindor table where Dalina had just been looking.

Dalina hadn't even realised the Sorting Hat ceremony had concluded until she heard Dumbledore's voice echoing throughout the Great Hall. She turned her attention to him, noticing the stool and Sorting Hat had been moved out of the way and he was now standing at the podium with the bird on it.

"Welcome to another school year at Hogwarts," he greeted. "It is always such a pleasure to see students return here for yet another term of furthering their education within these hallowed halls, and to see the bright-eyed faces of new students ready to embark on the journey before them, and perhaps to make a little mischief," he added which garnered some laughter. He held his arms out wide, making his fingers dance with that last word. "I will not bore any of you with a speech, that is what your classes will be for. So, enjoy the food and have a fine time getting to know your housemates!"

Suddenly food appeared on the tables and Dalina's eyes widened at the extensive variety of meats, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, breads, desserts and candy. There were full glasses of some sort of orange-tinted juice that wasn't actual orange juice, as well as several bowls of punch for each section of each house table.

"Where'd this all come from?" Esther muttered in disbelief, immediately reaching for a chicken leg.

"House-elves."

"Elves?" Dalina and Esther both looked at a smallish boy their age who had been sorted to Gryffindor at some point before them. He was very wiry, with thin brown hair and a bit of freckles on his face. He really looked more like he was eight years old rather than eleven.

"How do you know that?"

"My family parents inherited a house-elf on the death of my Gran a few years ago. We already have one, Pippy, and didn't need another, so my dad sent the spare here to Hogwarts to work in the kitchens in the basement. I have twin sisters, Jane and Joanne, they're Fourth Years. They told me about how the elves work in the kitchen right below us and there are four identical tables to the tables in here. All the elves have to do is put the food on the table and with magic it appears in place on our tables."

"Where are your sisters?" Dalina craned her head, trying to look down the table to the older students who might resemble the boy talking to her and Esther.

"Oh, they're not in Gryffindor. They're in Hufflepuff."

"How come you're not in the same House as your sisters?"

The boy shrugged. "I dunno. I'm the first person in my family not to be in Hufflepuff," he explained. "It was a bit of a shocker, to be honest. But I hear Gryffindor is one of the best Houses to be in."

Esther and Dalina in looked at each other and smirked.

"Well, it's not as if there is a large selection; there are only four Houses," Esther quipped.

"Alright, then. It's the _best_ House to be in," the boy amended, just as an older Gryffindor student came walking down to their end of the table and slapped him on the back.

"Ain't that the truth!"

The older boy sat down between the younger one and some First Year girl. Meagan Flaherty. Dalina remembered her name being called for the sorting. The older boy looked between the First Years and smirked. He was the brunette, astute-looking one of the group of mates from the other end of the table that had been joking around with the red haired girl and the boy named, James is she remembered correctly, from Platform 9¾.

"Remus Lupin, Seventh Year, Prefect," he offered his hand across the table to Esther first. She popped a piece of something into her mouth and then shook his hand.

"Esther Talmudge," she answered after swallowing the bit down.

Remus looked at Dalina. "Dalina Blackmore," she offered up, shaking his hand next. She was confused. She didn't know that the older students would be this friendly to First Years.

They all looked at the younger boy as Remus turned to his right to look down at him, hand offered. Neither Dalina or Esther had caught the boy's name during their chat about the house-elves.

"Jeremiah Herman," the boy finally replied.

"Nice to meet you three," Remus smirked. "Just a heads up, if you ever feel like you're being bullied by any member of the other Houses, and when I say that I mean Slytherin, come let my mates and I know." He jestured to the boy James, the more shaggy-haired teen, and he tubby blonde. "James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew are their names. Those are my best mates but there are other Seventh Years in our House who will be at your side in a heartbeat. Really, it doesn't matter what year the others are in. Loyalty and bravery is what Gryffindor is all about. We need to stick together." His face suddenly changed from lighthearted to taking on a slightly more serious expression. "Darker times are upon us. The world isn't what it used to be and if we can't depend on each other, what can we depend on, right?" He tried lightening the mood again by giving Jeremiah a quick ruffle to his brown hair. "Well, as you were."

With that, Remus moved down a few more seats to introduce himself to another batch of First Years.

"What do you think he meant by darker times are upon us?" Esther wondered leaning closer toward the middle of the table and whispering so only Dalina and Jeremiah could hear her.

Dalina shrugged. "I don't know. I don't want to think about any dark times. I want to think about good times." She grabbed up her glass of juice and took a whiff. It smelled like pumpkin. Slowly she took a sip and inwardly cooed. It was delicious. Her second sip was more of a gulp, downing almost half the glass in one take.

"Here, here," Jeremiah agreed with Dalina's sentiment. He lifted his glass to hers, hoping she would clink with him in cheers.

Smirking, Dalina obliged him and brought her glass up until it clinked with his, she then did the same to Esther's glass, causing Esther to bring her glass up so she could clink Jeremiah's. All three giggled and even got Meagan Flaherty and a couple of Second Years in on the cheers, even if they weren't paying attention to what the three particular First Years were cheering to.

As welcome banquet drew to a close, the food disappeared from the tables and the students were all finally led out of the Great Hall, following behind their house Prefects, Remus being one of them. The Hufflepuff students went down a staircase that lead to the Hufflepuff basement; where Jeremiah mentioned the kitchen was probably located near to. Slytherins also went downward, heading toward the castle's dungeons.

Dalina saw Leviticus, Lorelei and Alvin as the four houses began to part ways. They each waved back at Dalina and she at them. Meanwhile, Ravenclaws and Gryffindors all headed toward seemingly the same direction, only to split up at the last minute. The Ravenclaws went to the West side of the castle, up to the fifth floor to Ravenclaw Tower, whereas Dalina and her fellow Gryffindors went up another two floors toward Gryffindor Tower, all the while blown away by how the staircases moved around on them.

When they reached a large portrait of a Fat Lady, Remus spoke, "Pumpernickel." The portrait swung open and Remus, five other Prefects, Head Boy James Potter and some unnamed Head Girl remained behind as they allowed the rest of their housemates to enter through the circular hole behind the portrait.

Dalina slipped on through, walking down a short corridor before entering into a tall, circular room with two very tall windows on either side of a fireplace which was already roaring. There were scarlet tapestries on the walls of wizards and witches and even animals, and they were moving! The armchairs and sofas looked pleasantly comfy, there were a couple of tables, a bookcase, and there was a bulletin board with several ads, school notices and posters.

"All your belongings will be in your dormitories already," announced a Prefect girl. "Those two doors over there lead to spiral staircases. One for the boys, on for the girls. And boys, don't even _think_ you can sneak into the girls' dormitories. Their is an enchantment protecting such an action."

Dalina giggled underneath her breath. She wasn't too interested with sticking around and looking at the common room. She wanted to pick a bed before it was too late. She quickly hurried over to the door for the girls' dormitory and began to run up the spiraling staircase till she reached the room where she found her things. Another girl had already beat her there and claimed one of the two poster beds closest to the window in the room. With a smile sent to the girl, Dalina went for the second bed closest to the window and hopped on it. It was soft with a bit of bounce to it.

She wondered how many students had slept in this bed before her. Would she have this same bed all seven years? Would she switch off? Dalina hoped not. She liked where this bed was.

"_Aw_," came Esther's voice. "You got a window bed." She turned and stepped over to the bed against the wall on the other side of Dalina's, across the room from the window. "I guess this will have to do."

Dalina was in her own world. She slid down from her bed and began to unpack her things. She took poor Rhiannon out of her cage and noticed food trays were already available for the animals in the rooms. Dalina wondered if house-elves were responsible for that as well. After her clothes were packed into a dresser and her robes hung in a small, narrow closet, she put her books on a shelf to the right of her bed and pushed her luggage chest and animal carrier under her bed and out of the way.

"We can do magic now, you know," came the voice of the girl who had already been in the dormitory first. "We're only allowed to do magic on school grounds. If we do magic outside of school before for we're seventeen, we could get in serious trouble. So you didn't have to physically push your things under your bed. You could've done this." The girl pulled out her wand and pointed it at her own luggage and then muttered something.

However, instead of moving the luggage with magic as the girl had intended, the lock on the chest exploded. Sparks shot out, startling all three girls and when the black smoke cleared, the girl turned to face Dalina and Esther with an ashen face and hair only faintly singed. "I guess I have to work on that charm."

Dalina and Esther fell into a fit of giggles and jumped onto their respective beds. Dalina laid her head down upon her pillow, staring up at the underside of her bed's canopy, thinking about how she hadn't even thought about being away from home until that moment and she realised she was okay about it. Granted, the homesickness could always kick in within a week or so when she least expected it, but Dalina was so full of excitement and nerves and thoughts she couldn't focus on anything depressing.

Life was going to get so amazing!

* * *

><p><strong>UPDATE (Oct. 13, 2011): <strong>

**_My home computer has been out of service since the 24th of September. I can't afford the extra memory to install into it so I can run the virus cleaner-upper program I have. Until then I can't do anything for this story which SUCKS. I had the entire next chapter for this story all written and it's saved to my home computer but I can't even use the internet to send the story to my email or save it to a floppy disk to upload the story from elsewhere because both the internet and my floppy disks won't work because of the massive virus raging thru my PC. Be patient. As soon as I can fix my computer, hopefully before the new year (ugh) I will be able to write again. Worst case scenario I have to wait until a few months after the new year when I get my income tax returns to buy a laptop. Again: ugh!_**


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